Chakra

SYNOPSIS: Chakra is a final year Assoc. Dip. CAAD research assignment in created in Photoshop and Director using a Mac II in 1994. The idea was to create an interactive experience that enabled an individual to explore a somewhat accurate representation of the Eastern (Hindu in this case) understanding of the energy systems – or Chakras as they are known - existing throughout the human body. The idea was to minimise the complication of how the system maps out but, using a mandala interface to show there meaning rather than the human body, sounds counter-intuitive, maybe, though I was exploring the minds ability to store information using symmetric constructs. A yogi practitioner chanted the Mantras (sounds) associated with each Charka. I took some creative license by including some of my personal digital art that was created throughout the previous 4 years and embedding images within each Chakra Lotus Petal to be presented along with the Sanskrit and Mantra pertaining to that Petal. The result was not only a accurate (up to a certain point) representation of the Chakra system, but it also became a way of storing, categorising and navigating information. As Nirvana is indescribably using any known form of communication directly I once again took license and created an abstract exit point into the world of Tekno Mandala, my world. Chakra was exhibited at a final year exhibition in Carlton. A Mac was embedded into a recycled foam techno-temple like structure with collaged modern techno related imagery pasted around areas of the foam. It was photographed for 'The Age' arts section.